What Are the Most Common Motorcycle Accident Injuries?

Nothing compares to the open road, the wind in your face, and the loud rumble of your motorcycle under you. Motorcycles mean freedom and adventure. But the thrill of adventure can quickly turn into terror when an afternoon joyride turns into a tragedy. With the excitement of the unknown comes the risk of motorcycle accident injuries.

Keep reading to learn about the most common motorcycle accident injuries and the ways you can avoid them.

Lower Extremities

Injuries to your legs and all that entails them occur frequently when you ride a motorcycle. It only makes sense since your legs are the closest part of your body to the road.

On the positive side, when you do injure your calves, ankles, knees, or feet, the injuries are rarely fatal. However, when you do not seek immediate medical attention for even something as simple as a burned calf from a hot muffler, you run the risk of infection or long-term disabilities.

The lower extremities also include your pelvis. When your motorcycle collides with another vehicle or structure, your legs and pelvis sustain a significant portion of the impact. It’s common for an individual to suffer from a broken, cracked, or shattered pelvis as a result of a motorcycle accident.

Individuals who suffer from a broken pelvis can expect a long road of recovery. They will be unable to walk for a period of time, and some individuals lose the ability to walk completely because of a broken pelvis.

Upper Extremities

Injuries to a motorcyclist’s arms are so common that the injury to the arm is commonly known as a biker’s arm or rider’s arm. This condition occurs when the impact of an accident throws the motorcyclist off the bike and the cyclist or rider attempts to protect themselves by cradling their arm over themselves.

As a result, the arm takes the brunt of the impact, which then damages nerves and bones in both the arms and the hands. Many motorcyclists suffer permanent nerve damage in their upper body because of the impact caused by a motorcycle accident.

Skin Damage

When a motorcyclist has an accident, they typically skid across the pavement after flying from their bike. This skidding causes more than a bruise or scrape. Instead, the road will peel away multiple layers of skin exposing the muscles beneath.

Cyclists cannot wear seatbelts. Thus, when their bike hits an object, the cyclist will fly over the handlebars and land wherever gravity and momentum take them, hitting objects along the way. Individuals not wearing protective gear put themselves at significant risk whenever they ride.

Head, Neck, and Spinal Cord Injuries

Head and neck injuries are the most common injuries sustained by individuals in motorcycle accidents. Head injuries also most commonly cause fatalities.

If you’re fortunate, you will suffer from something as mild as a concussion. But more often than not, individuals involved in motorcycle accidents suffer from brain damage.

Head injuries will frequently lead to traumatic brain injuries, commonly known as TBI. Traumatic brain injuries lead to long-term physical and mental disabilities. Individuals may have difficulties with short-term memory, and some even suffer from a change in their personality.

Spinal cord injuries are also common injuries in motorcycle accidents. A spinal cord injury compromises your mobility, resulting in either partial or complete paralysis. In the end, individuals with spinal cord injuries will have a permanent disability.

Internal Injuries

Internal injuries are sleeping injuries that many people don’t notice right away. Blunt-force trauma can cause damage to organs beneath your skin, leading to internal bleeding.

Thus, just because you do not see an injury does not mean you do not have one.

Whenever you’re in an accident, take your time getting up and moving around. Most individuals know they have a problem because they have severe pain wherever the injury occurs. Some individuals will begin to notice slight pain that becomes increasingly worse as time passes.

Here are a few common symptoms of internal bleeding:

• Worsening abdominal pain or swelling
• Dizziness, light-headedness, or fainting
• Ecchymosis or an area of deep purple skin
• Tightness, swelling, and painful leg
• Seizure, head pain, and loss of consciousness

These symptoms indicate that you’re losing blood in places that you cannot see. Abdominal pain indicates an injury to your spleen or liver whereas a painful leg indicates a broken bone and potential bleeding.

Preventing Motorcycle Accident Injuries

Regardless of the types of motorcycle accidents that individuals sustain or the motorcycle accident causes, a rider and operator can take steps toward motorcycle safety.

Gear

The proper gear can protect a rider from significant injuries. A helmet, long pants, boots, and a leather jacket will prevent head injuries and road rash.

Driving Practices

Whenever you drive a motorcycle, drive defensively. Remember that people typically do not see you, and should you collide with another vehicle, you will lose.

Always drive the speed limit or under, and obey the basic rules of the road. Keep a safe distance away from other vehicles, and never drive while intoxicated.

Education

Motorcycle safety classes will teach you how to drive a motorcycle in the safest fashion. You’ll learn how to navigate traffic and to remember that people rarely see motorcycles and their drivers. Motorcycle education classes will also teach you how to keep your motorcycle maintained to avoid malfunctions that could cause accidents.

While motorcyclists are unable to prevent all accidents, there are steps that every rider can take to minimize accident occurrences and mitigate injuries.

Get Compensation for Motorcycle Accidents Injuries

Motorcycle accidents can lead to catastrophic motorcycle accident injuries. You can easily sustain life-altering maladies because of the impact your body absorbs in such an accident.

But with the proper safety measures, you can avoid some of these injuries.

Have you been injured in a motorcycle accident? If so, contact our office. Our attorneys specialize in accident defense, and we have the expertise and care that you need.

Give Alpha Accident Lawyers a call today.